


Chance

by RedfieldandNivans



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: AU Fic, Drinking, I really hate tags, Kind of emo, M/M, New Years Party!, No C-Virus, Piers is alive, after five years apart, cute kisses, kid fic?!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:28:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4251105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedfieldandNivans/pseuds/RedfieldandNivans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans were partners for years until the China incident, and then they weren't. After going their separate ways, a fluke has them running into each other at a New Years Eve party five years later. One thing leads to another and Chris finds out some interesting things about what his young partner has been up to the last little while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Here have this random fic to commemorate the tragedy of July 1st :3  
> I can't really tell you how this happened, but enjoy it!

"You're staring." 

"...Sorry." 

Piers bent down and reached into the fridge. Chris watched him, mouth dry, and tried his best not to stare. Jesus it had been a long time since he'd seen the sniper. How many years? Five now? It felt like much longer than that. Piers tossed the cap into the sink, leaning back against the counter so he could watch Chris with an unreadable expression. 

It was the sort of look that had always made Chris nervous; It was unreadable, always had been. He took a drink of his beer, not breaking eye contact with his ex-partner. "You look great, Piers." He wasn't lying. The years had been unbelievably kind to the hazel eyed sniper.

Piers snorted at the compliment and the sound made Chris smile. Shit, he missed that smug little noise. 

Was it okay to say 'I miss you' after this long? No, that would be awkward. Right? "How have you been?" Chris asked instead. It felt like he was walking on thin ice.

For whatever reason the question seemed to catch the sniper off guard, though Chris wasn't sure what he had been expecting instead. He watched the Ace shift against the counter like he was suddenly uncomfortable. 

"I'm... alright." Piers took a long drink of his beer, shrugging. "Things aren't as interesting as they used to be." 

Christ, was that an understatement. Chris laughed, nodding his agreement into the mouth of his beer. "Yeah." 

It wasn't that bio-terrorism had quieted down or anything, it was just that neither of them had been doing much field work lately. After Piers transferred out of Alpha Team Chris had avoided active duty for a time.

"Can't imagine a desk job gets the adrenaline pumping." 

"Oh, I don’t know..." This time Piers laughed a little and the sound nearly made Chris choke on his drink. God damn was that something he missed hearing. Who was he kidding? He missed everything about Piers.

Chris finished up his beer, smiling. “You telling me that pushing papers in an office gets more exiting than it sounds?” 

Piers rolled his eyes, taking another drink. 

It was awkward. Chris could feel it in the air despite how hard he was trying to fix it. Piers had left Alpha Team years ago because of him, and now that they were finally face to face and _talking_ , Chris couldn't fix it. His chest ached; he wanted to fix this so badly.

“Chris…” 

He smiled, and damnit if Piers was the only person besides Claire who could see right through him. Before the ex-sniper could say anything else, Chris motioned for the fridge with his hand. “Pass me another beer?” 

Quietly, Piers bent down and reached back into the fridge to retrieve another bottle, giving Chris a few seconds to admire his fit form. Desk job or not, he was definitely keeping up with his training. 

Piers passed the beer over, accidentally brushing their fingers together in the process. 

“Thanks.” 

The sniper nodded, averting his eyes and returning the the other end of the kitchen so as to keep all of that extra distance between them. It stung. 

“So…” 

Best to start up a conversation before it got _too_ awkward again. “You here with someone?” It was a New Years party they were at, so what better question to ask? Chris’ gut twisted up uncomfortably once he asked it- he really didn’t want to hear the answer he realized.

“No.” 

Chris’ stomach fluttered. “Oh yeah?” that was hope. 

“Chris, what are you doing?” 

He hesitated. What was he supposed to say? It was easy to move on when they lived two states away from each other, but standing in front of the guy like this? Chris was a mess. He wanted… what _didn’t_ he want? “What? I’m just trying to reconnect with my old partner.” It wasn’t a lie. 

There was that look, though. The one that said Piers saw through Chris’ bullshit and he chose not to call him on it. 

Chris sighed into his bottle, brown eyes focused on the man across the room. Fuck. How had it gotten like this? China had broken them both and Chris had withdrawn too much. He couldn’t blame Piers for running. Any kind of commitment had seemed terrifying at the time. He’d been a fool. 

Piers leaned back against the counter and Chris couldn’t decide if he was getting comfortable, or if he was just putting up a front. It had always been challenging to read the sniper, and now wasn’t any different. 

“Alright.” The sound of Piers’ voice surprised Chris out of his thoughts. “Let’s play catch up. What’re you doing in town?” 

“That’s an easy question. There’s a conference here that I get to be a part of.” It wasn't just the B.S.A.A though; TerraSave and a number of other groups were involved in it; Chris had hoped to spot his red haired sister in the crowd while he was in town but hadn’t as of yet. 

“Riiight. I forgot you finally accepted that promotion.”

Chris shrugged. “Didn’t have much of a choice this time.” 

Piers laughed again and Chris’ heart leapt at the sound. That was distracting. 

“Right.” The ex-sniper nodded. “Its about time they took that choice away from you. I guess you don’t get much field time anymore, huh?” 

“About as much as you do. They keep me pretty busy running back and forth like this.” 

Piers took a drink and the conversation fell silent once again. Chris drank, trying not to over-analyze his ex-partner. He tried his best not to stare, either, but Piers looked amazing. Better than Chris could have ever hoped. Familiar, yet foreign. Chris wanted to touch his hair, to feel the sniper’s muscles slide under his palms… God did he ever miss him. 

“How’s Claire?” 

“She’s good. She’s real good. Asks about you sometimes.” More like she constantly reminded Chris what a complete shit he was for letting Piers go like he did. She cared too much sometimes. 

Piers stared at the floor, smiling. “I miss her. Glad she’s doing okay.” 

“Don’t be afraid to call her! I think she’d like to hear from you.”

“I’m not… a _fraid_. It’s just…weird now.”

“Awkward.” 

“Yeah.” 

“What about you?” Chris didn't want to give the conversation time to die, so he grasped at anything he could think of. “Anything new to report?” 

“Define ‘new’.” 

Chris smiled at that. “Generally its something I don’t know about, and since I don’t know much anymore—” 

“—You mean you haven't been keeping tabs on me, Captain?” 

Chris paused with the bottle at his lips. he hadn’t expected to hear his old title fall from the other’s lips. The sound of it practically set Chris on fire. Shit. 

Piers glanced away quickly like he hadn’t meant to say what he had. Like he knew the effect it had on his old partner.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you—” 

Chris waved off the apology. “I know. And now you know I don’t. So?” 

“So?”

“C’mon, Piers. Keep up. You going to fill me in on what’s new in your life?” 

Was that blush on Piers’ cheeks or was Chris intoxicated enough to start seeing what he wanted to see? He set his empty bottle down and Piers got the hint pretty quickly and went into the fridge to get him another drink. 

“Well…” He was quiet for a moment after handing off the opened beer, like he was thinking bout how to say what he was about to say.

“I have a kid now.” 

Chris actually choked on his drink hearing that. He set the bottle on the counter and wiped his chin with the back of his hand. “ _What_? Really?” He was surprised, obviously, and it was hard to admit to himself that it felt like his heart had sunk down to his toes. 

Piers actually laughed at his former partner’s reaction. “Yeah.”

What did that mean? Was Piers in a happy relationship now? Good for him. If anyone deserved to be happy it was Piers, and Chris had no right to be upset about it. _He_ had been the one to chase the Ace away to begin with. “Aah… Wow. Congrats.” What else could he say? 

Was it weird to ask questions or was that expected? Would he look like an ass if he changed the subject? Did he even want to know any more than he already knew now? Chris analyzed the label on his beer bottle as he thought. Honestly his heart hurt at the news, yet he was conflicted. 

“So who’s the lucky lady?” Despite how his heart felt, he really wanted to know who was making the Ace happy, though he couldn’t actually look at Piers while he asked. Was it selfish of him to not want to see the sniper’s fondness for his new family? 

When Piers laughed, Chris glanced up. Laughter wasn’t what he’d been expecting. 

“Don’t have one.” 

Chris didn’t understand, and the confusion must have crossed his face because Piers elaborated for him. 

“It was… We were never serious. It just kind of…happened.”

Chris didn’t know what to say to that. Piers didn’t make mistakes this huge and life-changing. At least, not the Piers he remembered. He watched the ex-sniper a moment and took note of how the guy kept avoiding eye contact. Chris wasn’t sure if he had the right to be optimistic in the face of this news.

“You… didn’t try and make it work?” Were these questions getting too personal? 

“No.” Piers waved off the look of concern that Chris gave him. “You haven’t met her. It’s better that we work together far away from each other. If that makes any sense at all.” 

Chris was still confused. Piers hadn’t ever seemed like the kind of guy who would just let something like that happen…but then again Chris didn’t know the whole story. Giving Piers the benefit of the doubt was all he could do. He still wasn’t sure how he was supposed to take this news, though. He wanted to know what happened, but at the same time he wasn’t sure he deserved to know. 

The sniper seemed to notice Chris’ dilemma though, and he smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I didn’t abandon anyone if that’s what you’re thinking. You just really can’t get to know someone in the span of a few drunken hours. Turns out sober we aren’t compatible at all. Cutest kid you’ll ever see though.” 

Piers seemed pretty proud of his spawn, that was for sure. 

“How old is it? I mean, _he_ …or _she_ …” God he was really grasping at straws now, “…they? Uh…” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

Piers snickered and shook his head at the older man’s awkwardness. “ _He_ , Chris. He. And he’s four.” 

Chris’ laughter died fairly quickly after that - He wasn’t drunk enough to not realize the age significance, and Piers seemed to catch his train of thought as well. The kitchen went quiet and Piers fidgeted before finishing off his beer and putting it in the sink for their party host to clean up.

Chris watched him grab for another drink. “Piers.” 

“Look. Don’t read into that, alright?” The Ace fished around the fridge until he found another beer, tossing an extra one Chris’ way. “It’s no big deal.” 

“Bullshit it isn’t.” Chris wasn’t thirsty for beer anymore. “Four years?”

Piers set his drink down on the counter a little too hard, drawing his ex-partners full attention. 

“What do you want me to say, Chris? That I wasn’t affected by what happened between us? Because I was, but you know what? I dealt with whatever came my way and made the best of it. Stupid decisions or not.”  

“You could have told me.”

“Yeah? Why would I?”

There was a silent, lingering unsaid ‘would you have cared at the time?’ that tore Chris’ heart to pieces because he was sure that, at the time, no. He wouldn’t have cared. He’d been in such a state that he had barely noticed the empty space in his bed. 

Piers scoffed. “I thought as much.” He grabbed an extra beer for himself from the fridge and started across the kitchen. “It was good seeing you again.” 

Chris didn’t stop him from joining the party in the other room. 

Chris took a long drink of his beer, watching the doorway as if he expected the Ace to come back. He’d tried and failed to fix things between them, and he shouldn’t have been surprised when everything had backfired on him. Piers had given so much of himself to him - ignored his own pain in favour of helping him through his, and what had he done in return? 

He hadn’t done what he should have done, that was for sure. 

How was he supposed to make this right when Piers was done with him? A simple ‘I’m sorry’ wasn’t going to be enough.

Chris found himself with another bottle, tossing the cap too hard into the kitchen sink before heading out into the living room. The room was full of people and he only recognized a handful of them. It was loud and noisy and everything you’d expect from a New Years house party, including the all too festive music, but the only thing Chris could focus on was the sandy haired ex-sniper across the room. 

He _should_ have just moved on - everything would have been easier that way. He should have just left the Ace alone, but even with the other man completely across the room, Chris felt drawn to him. There wasn’t much he could say that hadn’t already been said and Piers wasn’t having any of that. Words weren’t enough to heal this wound and Chris wasn’t sure if it was even a wound that _could_ be healed. 

He’d had his chance already and he’d fucked it up. Why did he deserve a second chance? There were probably dozens of people who could make Piers happier than he could. 

The thought hurt. 

Someone shouted something about a countdown, earning drunken cheers from around the room. People started to crowd around the television to watch the live ball drop from Time Square while others pulled their sweethearts close. Chris stood alone and watching. 

He wasn’t big on traditions like this; He’d celebrated for Claire when they’d been younger but nothing had stuck since she’d left for university. Piers had always liked to celebrate outrageous holidays like Hallowe’en and St. Patricks day. 

Christmas and New Years were probably things that the Ace normally enjoyed, but watching him now you wouldn't have be able to tell. Sure, Piers always looked sour, but Chris knew the difference between the ‘work-face’ and the ‘agitated’ face. 

He’d caused enough agitation in the sniper over the years to be an expert at telling the difference. 

Chris couldn’t just leave Piers alone, could he? He’d gone five fucking years without him and it was easy to pretend he didn’t miss the Ace, until Piers was right there in front of him. Chris didn't think he could leave this party without trying again. As much as he tried to convince himself that he was okay, he needed Piers. 

He moved to avoid bumping into a couple and side stepped another group of people in order to avoid another collision. The count had started and everyone around him began shouting numbers. Chris smiled at someone he recognized from the conference as he moved through the crowd and he almost didn’t make it in time. Cheers erupted all around the room as midnight struck and before Piers could say a word Chris pulled him close and shut him up with a kiss. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized between liplocks, begging the Ace to accept what he was saying because it was true. “Piers I’m so sorry.” Chris hadn’t meant to hurt him, he’d never consciously hurt Piers, but he couldn’t change what had happened between them. 

By the fourth kiss, when Chris had started loosing hope and he considered giving up, the sniper’s walls started to crack and Piers finally returned to affectionate display and Chris melted on the spot. 

It took a few more intense kisses before Piers regained his faculties and started pushing away from him. “ _Chris_.” 

The sound of his name snapped him out of the daze he was in and Chris coughed, clearing his throat as he stepped back a pace to give the Ace some room. Piers had never been huge on public displays of affection and they were right in the middle of this New Years Eve party. Chris wasn’t sure if apologizing again was appropriate. 

Piers didn’t get annoyed or irritated like Chris was expecting him to. “My place isn’t far if you… want to talk.” 

Talk.

Chris wanted to do everything but talk right now. He nodded though, one hand still lingering on the snipers shoulder. He couldn’t bring himself to let Piers go, not after finally being able to touch him again. “I think I’d like that.” 

Piers smiled and for the first time in years, Chris felt like some weight had lifted off his shoulder. That genuine smile Piers wore… he thought he’d never get the chance to see it again. 

Chris couldn’t help but smile back, happy. This was good for them.

Chris let go of Piers’ shoulder after a moment and they parted for the time being - Chris moved to grab his jacket from the spare room where he’d left it and he made a point to find the Corporal who’d invited him, shaking hands with the man and thanking him for the invitation. If it hadn’t been for that invitation, Chris probably wouldn’t have run into Piers at all. 

They regrouped at the front door and left together without saying a word. The night was cool, but mild and the walk was nice. There wasn’t much traffic around this late at night and their walk was blissfully void of any sort of interruption. They’d both opted for a silent walk, despite having agreed to talk only a few minutes ago. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t know what to say: Chris had a lot on his mind. He had so many questions, but he wasn’t sure just what to ask first, or if it was even okay to ask anything right now. He couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but it felt like he was walking on eggshells. As if Piers were waiting for him to ask the wrong thing or something. Despite knowing just how stupid it was to think that way, Chris couldn’t help it. 

He was afraid he’d say something wrong and that he’d have to watch Piers leave again. 

“So uh…” 

The ex-sniper fidgeted a little at the sudden sound, crossing both his arms over his chest. Uncomfortable. “Yeah?” 

Silence, again. 

Chris sighed after a moment, running a hand through his cropped hair. “Tell me about this kid of yours. That _has_ to be a story.”

Piers laughed. “You want to know about _her_ , not my kid.” 

Leave it to Piers to see right through him. Chris stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. 

“I guess I do.” 

“You’ve always been easy to read, Chris.” The Ace sighed, staring out at the road ahead of them while they walked. 

It took a few moments before he started talking again. 

“Met her at the bar. Once. We talked a bit, exchanged numbers and I took her home. Didn’t hear from her for almost a year. She called me up one day while I was between missions and dropped this responsibility in my lap. Found out he was mine and then… I don’t know. I didn’t want this, you know?” 

Chris nodded, listening as Piers spoke. He’d heard this kind of story before from a lot of different people. It was pretty common these days, but Piers? He was still having trouble with the idea of _Piers_ getting into this kind of trouble. “I get it. You have a dangerous career and kids don’t fit into the mix. Is this why you took an office job?”

Piers nodded. “I didn’t have to. She just wanted money. She figured exactly what you just said - that I had a military career, that I was loaded and wouldn’t be in country long enough to bother her.” He stared ahead, refusing to even glance in Chris’ direction for the moment. “It was true. I did my part financially and left on a mission.” He sighed, steps slowing until he stopped completely. 

Chris halted and turned towards Piers completely.  “And then you came back.” 

“Yeah. I stopped by to see him, reconfirmed that his mom was a bitch, but the little guy was… I don't know. Its hard to explain, I had to figure out what I wanted to be, for him. I decide that I wanted to be a dad the kid could count on, so I transferred, grounded myself and fought for dual custody. Me and his mom don’t get along, but we manage.”

Chris had no words. Sacrificing a promising career in favour of raising a kid? He knew what that was like - he’d done something similar it for Claire. It was admirable. “You’re amazing.” It was the only thing he could think to say, and it was the truth.

“What?” 

“Not many people would do that.” Chris shrugged. “Especially if they didn’t get along with the other parent.” There are too many people out there who are all too wiling to sweep their responsibilities under the rug. Chris was happy that Piers had stepped up. Piers had always been a good guy; Chris had known that from the moment they’d met. 

“Yeah, well. He’s a good kid. He deserves to have a father.”

Chris smiled. God, could he like this guy any more than he already did?

They started walking again and silence followed them for a bit before either spoke again. This time, it was a more comfortable quiet. Chris didn’t feel like he was being judged anymore. he was content just being around Piers, and was surprised when he heard the other clear his throat.

“What about you?”

“Huh?” 

“We’ve been talking a lot about me, so what about you? What have you been doing?” 

Chris glanced towards Piers, catching his eye before the ace turned away. After a moment, Chris shrugged. It wasn’t a question he wanted to answer - compared to what Piers had gone through the last few years, Chris’ current life felt like a joke.

“I was coaxed out of active duty and promoted. Got a corner office with a view and HQ ships me out to these conferences every so often. It’s not exactly exciting but I’m still fighting the good fight.” 

Piers laughed at that and Chris smiled at the sound. “Well its about time!” 

“Yeah I didn’t fight it that time. I know when to give up.”

It was quiet again and Chris cursed his ability to kill conversations so easily. He didn’t fight the silence this time, just let it consume them as they walked. Piers ushered them down another street.

 “I’m happy that you’re talking to me.” 

It was honest; after the falling out that they’d had, Chris hadn’t expected Piers to ever look at him, let alone talk to him face to face, and here they were. The sniper scoffed at that and Chris caught him glancing over before looking away again. 

“What was that look for?” 

“It’s not like you gave me much of a choice.”

“Much of a choice? To what? Talk to me?” 

“I _tried_ ignoring you,” the Ace sighed. “and then you decide to kiss me in the middle of all those people. That isn’t exactly how you respect someones space.” 

It was Chris’ turn to laugh. He’d do it all over again if he was given the opportunity. He’d do more than that if it meant making up with Piers. He slowed his steps when he realized Piers had stopped.

He turned around and sure enough, Piers stood, arms crossed like he was waiting.

“Well?” 

Chris frowned. “Well what?”

Piers rolled his eyes. “You’re not even going to apologize, are you.”

“Nope.” Chris grinned and Piers shook his head and started forward again and the ex-Captain couldn’t help but smile at the action; Piers’ attitude was still there. There was something special about that sass. 

“Hey.” 

Before Piers could react, Chris tugged him closer, hands gripping the front of his jacket. The sniper only looked confused for a second before he caught on to what Chris was doing. 

“Chris-“ 

Only Chris didn’t back away. He stood his ground, hands holding tight on Piers’ jacket, hovering his face so close to the sniper’s that he could smell the beer on Piers’ breath. “Tell me to leave you alone and I will. Just say it.” 

He felt the sniper swallow heavily, but despite that he didn’t say a word and Chris’ heart leapt. 

“I wanted to ignore you today, Piers. I tried. I didn’t want to bother you because I was afraid you hated me-“

“-I never _hated_ you…” 

Their foreheads touched and Chris sighed. It was such a simple gesture and he loved every second of it. He _missed_ this. “I still thought you did. You have every right to after everything that I did to you.” He tightened his grip on the front of Piers’ jacket and tugged him right up against his chest. “I was so scared of you today.” 

What Chris wasn’t expecting to hear, was Piers laugh. 

“You _should_ be scared! There is no wrath like that of a sniper.” 

“Ex-sniper.” Chris countered with a smirk, watching Piers wince at the title. “And it still doesn't change the fact that I’m really happy.” 

The corner’s of Piers’ mouth twitched into a grin and it was contagious. Chris was smiling when he kissed Piers for the second time that night. It was a slow and languid kiss - no rush or urgency to it. 

Chris moved his hands from the front of Piers’ jacket, trailing them down until he found the snipers hips and tugged his partner forward. This entire scenario - finding Piers again, being able to kiss and touch him again, it was making him hard and he wanted Piers to feel that. That was raw emotion. “Which way to your house?” 

“What?” Piers seemed dazed, and it took a second or two before he understood the question. Reluctantly, Chris let him go and Piers took a few steps backwards, straightening out his jacket and rubbing a hand through his hair, successfully disheveling it. “Right, right. We’re almost there.”

Piers took up the lead and Chris followed though it was times like these that he wished that he could read the sniper a whole lot better than he could. Was he nervous? Hell yes he was. He’d lost Piers once already - almost twice if you counted the disaster in the Underwater Facility all those years ago, and Chris didn’t want to chance losing him again. If keeping his partner meant taking this achingly slow, then he would. 

It had barely been a couple minutes when Piers stopped in front of a building, Chris almost bumping into him from behind at the sudden stop.

“Here.”

While Piers fished out his keys from his pocket, Chris took advantage of his newfound position behind him, hands trailing up his coat while he dotted kisses around the snipers ear. Piers laughed, finally ducking away from the assault when he’d found his keys.

“Behave!” 

Chris just grinned, but obliged for now. “Are there any sleeping kids up there that I should know about?” He asked in passing, trying to get a look at the building as they made their way towards the door. From what he could see it was nice, but not overly expensive looking. Piers had been in the process of unlocking the door when he paused,

“No, He’s with his mom tonight. Why?” 

Chris’ hands found their way back to Piers’ waist and he rolled the sniper’s ass slow against his front, leaning forward into his back. “No reason… How about room mates?” 

Now Piers was laughing, but he made the effort to grind himself back up against Chris. He was starting to guess why Chris was asking all of these questions.

“Nope~”


End file.
